So let me let you in on a little secret… florists don’t just think about flowers… we also think a lot about colours! For us colour is never a secondary consideration to our compositions and how we use them definitely sets the tone for the florals and overall event. With our larger planned weddings we always start our clients out with a colour story to help anchor the overall feel of the event and to guide us in making decisions about other elements of décor.

For us a colour story is never just about one colour but a range of complimentary and contrasting shades, as you’ll see from the collection of purple and pink storyboards! The boards below were presented to our bride from The Botanical Affair—can you guess which she opted for based on the final event?

We dug through our phone galleries to pull up some real-life floral combos that we’ve used for weddings. #throwback!

This was an interesting exercise for us to see the sort of floral mixes that were resonating with our brides. As you can see, the combinations are endless, and, over the years our brides have been getting bolder in their choice of florals (someone say hay?) and colours (check out the pops of black and burgundy!), which we love, love, love!

At the end of the day, there is no rule as to what wedding florals or colours should be. It’s your day so you get to pick your flavour!

When we reached out to our brides asking them to share some tips for enjoying your big day they really came through! Since we got quite a bit of feedback we've spilt the post up into three sections. If you missed it, Part 1 is here.

As in the previous post, the comments have been minimally edited and left anonymous.

Navigating a Guest List and RSVPs

“Putting a guest list together could potentially turn into a nightmare. There are so many factors to consider—Are kids allowed? Who gets a plus one and who doesn't? How many invites do you give your parents? It can easily become a very sensitive and stressful issue, and from experience, I learnt that pleasing everyone is impossible. We insisted on having an intimate wedding, and only invited close family and friends. When people asked if they could bring friends along, we said no. When people we weren't close with asked if they could come, we said no. We were put in so many awkward situations! But remember, at the end of the day, your wedding is about celebrating you as a couple, and not anyone else. So surround yourself with the people who you want to share this day with. Trust me, it will be worth it once you feel surrounded by so much genuine love and happiness on your wedding day.”

“RSVP's! They're VERY difficult to get, but make a big difference, especially when booking a venue that charges by head, or printing beautiful (but expensive) wedding invitations!”

It’s Not Just About Décor

"Hire a planner. You need help with all the details and someone to stay on top of everything. As a planner-bride, I began to realise how much more went into being a bride. No one tells you about all the wedding paperwork you have to do, oh and are you trying to furnish a house while planning a wedding? We managed the large chunk of our wedding design, but we still needed help on the ground to execute and pull things together. Seriously, hire a planner."

Eat, Nap, Hydrate!

"Pre-empt all your quirks and craziness and make sure you create an environment that helps you stay chilled, relaxed, and excited! In my case, that meant scheduling a nap (best decision ever!!), making sure that there was a light buffet for the bridal party while they were getting ready so no one would go hangry (!) and of course, finding a cappuccino. It was also really important for me to have my girls close by, but at the same time have my own space (don't underestimate the power of space!) so we got adjoining rooms to get ready in."

"Make sure you eat and hydrate well on the wedding day. I made the mistake of ignoring food and paid the price for it. I became ill at part of my wedding (I actually threw up when I tried to eat later because our outdoor venue was quite chilly). So while you are getting ready (and throughout the day, actually) make sure you have a good hearty meal that will hold you up through the adrenaline."

Oh, we don’t mean us. We mean our brides—the ladies who have walked through fire and lived to tell the tale! We jest.

After Rose officially became a bride, it dawned on us that putting together a wedding was a really, really stressful endeavor. Between negotiating official paperwork, ballooning budgets, and compromising on décor and first dance songs… it’s kind of shocking that brides still manage to keep their wits about them.

So, to help you cope with any impending nuptials, and just so you know you aren’t losing your mind, we’ve asked our brides to share some of their tips for keeping your marbles together. We’ve left comments as we received them and kept them anonymous so our lovely ladies could give you the skinny without being put on the spot.

Getting, and Managing, Everyone Involved

“There are always so many people involved in planning a wedding; this is both good and bad. The good part is everyone wants to help make it a happy and stress-free day for you, so let them: delegate when you can, ask for help and don't sweat the small stuff. The tricky part is managing all the opinions thrown in your direction—this can get very overwhelming fast, but don't let it be. It's okay to consider some opinions and dismiss others, at the end of the day, do what you believe is best for you.”

"What really made our wedding special to us, and to our guests too, was how much it felt like us! We wanted a warm, personal day filled with the things we love, and elements of our family and culture. Your personal touches are what make the wedding, so don't let anyone dictate how it should go, or do something just because that's the way it's usually done."

“You can't do everything alone. Learn to delegate, because even with a planner (and I had 2!) there was STILL a boat load to do. Task folks with the little things that you know are their forte. For example, one of my bridesmaids helped me out with my music selection, another was my therapist, and another was in charge of all things related to dress and shoes. Did I mention I had 8 bridesmaids? It truly takes a village!”

“Trust the people you chose to work with and communicate with them during the creative process. Listen to everyone but know what you really want and can't do without. Collaborations are everything! Have a clear vision, do your research and have your own visual mood board, you might go in a different direction but it's great to have a good starting point for everyone to know what resonates most with you.”

The Art of Compromise

“Try to make sure everyone goes into it happy! Be it family members, friends, planners, or vendors. It's a day that celebrates love and that goes for everyone!”

“Different elements of the wedding will be more important to you and your groom so try to understand why something's important to each of you, meet in the middle and come to an agreement. Don't fight it out over something that will not be important in the long run. You just need to let some things go! You don't really NEED those napkins anyway…”